Mr Mawrey praised the Returning Officer for Tower Hamlets John Williams and emphasized that he was completely exonerated for any criticisms made.

He said: ‘There is no doubt that far too many people attended the count and the behaviour of many who attended was regrettable.’

He observed that:

Mr Williams was much criticised in the media for the length of time that the count took but the circumstances were such that this was inevitable and he seems to have made the correct decisions, even if they disappointed some in the press.

All in all, Mr Williams did a completely professional job in very difficult and trying circumstances. He is a man of considerable experience in elections – indeed may be considered an expert in the subject – though that expertise was sorely tested in 2014.

As the court has found so often with professional returning officers, Mr Williams was a man who kept his head when all around were losing theirs.

As this case makes clear, when fraud is attempted, or committed, it is candidates and their supporters who make those attempts or commit those offences – voters are the victims. We welcome that Mr Justice Mawrey made this clear in his statement. Campaigners of all parties need to act in line with the highest standards when communicating with voters.

We have been working closely with police forces and local Returning Officers across the country, including in Tower Hamlets, to ensure they have robust plans in place to minimise the risk of fraud at the elections in May.

The Met Police issued a statement saying they would be studying the 200 page document:

The Metropolitan Police Service is committed to ensuring a free and fair election.

Whilst not a party in the election petition hearing at the High Court today, Thursday, 23 April, the MPS fully assisted with proceedings by providing statements and documents as and when required by the Election Commissioner. A number of Met officers and police staff also attended the court to provide live evidence.

We note the decision of The Election Commissioner and will now take time to fully consider the 200-page report.

In the run up to the General Elections on 7 May, the MPS will continue to work closely with the Electoral Commission and all local authorities across London, including Tower Hamlets, in a proactive and preventative capacity to protect the integrity of the electoral process in London. Planning for the police operation on that day has been underway for sometime and a detailed plan to support the democratic process is already in place.

The MPS take allegations of electoral fraud and malpractice extremely seriously and will fully investigate any put to us. We would encourage anyone with concerns in this area to report the matter to their local police.

This is how the UK court reporting news agency @CourtNewsUK live tweeted this morning’s ruling.

Eric Pickles, the outgoing coalition government minister for communities and now Tory prospective parliamentary candidate for Brentwood & Ongar, said after the ruling there could be no place for ‘rotten boroughs’ in our political system.